The TikTok Deal: the White House secures a new instrument for influencing young voters and mobilizing key business interests in support of Republicans

On January 22, 2026, the TikTok platform entered into an agreement with investors to create a company in the USA called TikTok USDS Joint Venture.

The new joint venture was formed in accordance with President Trump's executive order from September 25, 2025, under which the condition for continuing the app's operations in the United States was its transfer to a consortium primarily consisting of American investors.

The $14 billion deal leaves TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, with only 19.9% of the shares in TikTok USDS Joint Venture, while the other shares are distributed among representatives of American and foreign business elites who have long-term experience collaborating with the Republican Party and Donald Trump personally.

Under the terms of the agreement, which defines the future status of TikTok in the USA, 45% of the American joint venture will be owned by the private investment company Silver Lake, the Abu Dhabi government-controlled firm MGX, which specializes in artificial intelligence technologies and managing high-tech assets, as well as the transnational technology corporation of American origin Oracle.